I walked down the bare grey halls slowly. My boots were padded, so they didn't click, which felt, odd to me. The Black Knight's base a maze, and I kept wandering around, running into very confused-looking members of the Black Knights. After a while, I finally gave up and tentatively reached out into the Force, searching until I found Lelouch's mind. I touched on it gently, and was surprised to sense enough Force within him that I could communicate with him through the force.
Tentatively, I reached out through the Force. "Lelouch?"
I could feel his surprise and confusion at first, before he managed to respond with effort. "Lar- issa?"
"I'm awake, I just wanted to know where you were."
"The- control room." My mind was suddenly flooded with images of halls leading to a large room filled with monitors and a large, round table, chairs surrounding it. "Join us." Now with the images he'd provided me, I finally managed to ascertain where I was and how to get there.
"I'll be there shortly." I closed off the connection to him.
It was interesting that Lelouch was Force sensitive, especially considering that green-haired woman, whom also held sway with the Force. It was an interesting coincidence. I never did catch her name. I'd be sure to ask next time. I followed Lelouch's directions to the large meeting room.
The grey doors slide open to reveal a bustling control room. At the round table, Zero sat at the helm, to the left was Li Xingke and to the left was a young girl with long black hair. She looked vaguely familiar. It took me a moment to place her. It was Kagura Sumeragi, the last of the Japa nobles. On either side of the table were various ranking members of the Black Knights, most of whom I recognized from Schenziel's various files. Kallen, Kaname Ohgi, Todoh Kyoshiro, Asahina Shogo, Senba Ryoga, Urabe Kotsetu, Diethard Reid, Rakshata Chawla, and Chiba Nagisa. All high ranking officials in the Black Knights and very high profile targets.
If only Schneizel could see me now, he'd be green with envy.
I stood in the doorway for a few minutes before people in the control room began to notice my presence. It was slow at first, like a trickle. People began to turn around slowly, looking at me in confusion for the briefest moment before a breath of recognition seemed to run around the room. For a moment there was an overwhelming sense of fear and admiration in one roiling wave until I shut it out, enjoying the calm of silence.
"Larissa," Zero called out from the from of the table, gesturing to an empty seat on the left of him, next to Kallen. "Please come sit." I walked slowly over to the chair and sat in the cool leather backed chair.
"Are you feeling okay?" Kallen asked.
"Better," I said graciously.
"I must offer my condolences on the death of your father," Li said, and pain spiked through me. I resisted the urge to glare at him. My patience with people was thinner than I remembered, but then again, I never had to deal with the backstabbing, selfish people I'd had to deal with as Aurora Canan. It took me a moment to retain the skills I'd learned as her, to the let the annoyance pass. "This must be a trying time for you."
"Yes," I said softly, "It is, but I'm afraid it's not as surprising as I wish it was."
"Why is that?" Zero asked, his voice curious.
"Yes, you seemed very distraught yesterday after learning of your father's demise," Li continued, his eyes narrowed.
"I'm afraid looking back," I said with difficulty, "This may have been inevitable."
"Why?" Li pressed. He was being unusually persistent. I sighed, I didn't want to reveal my family's secrets, but obviously this Li didn't trust me. If I was going to attempt anything, I knew that I would need it to continue.
"Because my brother never really cared for my father. I won't deny that he wasn't the best father," I said honestly, "but I never really expected much from him. My brother was different though, in that regard. He always had expectations of our father that were never going to happen."
"Who was your father?" The green-eyed woman asked, her eyes soft, and her voice high, like a child.
I was surprised, I thought they would have known that, if not anything else. "Han Solo." A murmur of surprise went around the table.
"The smuggler?" Li asked unimpressed.
"The War Hero?" Kallen echoed at the same time, though she sounded far more impressed than Li did.
"Would it surprise you that he was both?" I asked, a true smile lighting up my face for a moment.
"But there's more, isn't there?" Zero ventured.
"Yes," I said slowly, "I'm afraid this is not the first time one of my family has been tempted over to the Dark Side." And it wouldn't be the last if history had anything to say about it. "My grandfather. My brother idolized him since a very young age"
"Who was your grandfather?" Li questioned, his eyes sharp. I knew they wouldn't know this, that is wasn't a truth known to many.
"He was known to my brother and I as Anakin Skywalker," I said hesitantly. "But you would know him as, Darth Vader." If the room had been silent before, now the silence had turned into a heavy, oppressive disbelief.
"Darth Vader," Zero whispered haltingly, the mere implications of the name sending shivers through the force around him.
"I'm afraid I don't understand. I had no word that Darth Vader had children, much less Leia Organa." Li looked distinctly confused.
"Anakin Skywalker was a highly skilled young Jedi, but he became arrogant and fearful. He broke the old Jedi code and fell in love with a woman, the former Queen Amadala of Naboo. They were married, and from what I understand, Anakin feared she would be killed, and the Sith Lord Sidius used that fear to turn him into the man that would become Darth Vader. Anakin became paranoid, and eventually came to believe that his wife and his former mentor were plotting against him. His former mentor was forced to gravely injure him, but not before he caused his own wife to go into early labor.
"Believing Anakin was dead, she only managed to give birth to twins before she died, Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker, my uncle." I paused, swallowing hard. Anger was sweeping through, rampant, hot, and fierce, and I had to work to keep the hatred from my voice. "Leia was given to the then Senator Organa, and Luke was given to Anakin's estranged brother. Neither of them knew of their origins, and Darth Vader did not become aware of their existence until close to the end of the war."
"My brother, he always idolized Darth Vader, was always too interested in the Dark Side, and the power it could bring. It didn't help much that both he and I were more powerful in the Force than most. My uncle believed hard training would help curb my brother's, curiosity. Obviously, it didn't work."
"And you, Larissa, have you ever been tempted?" Li pressed.
"No," I answered honestly. "The Dark Side has never beckoned to me as it has to my brother. He was always the more corruptible of the two of us." The end was barely a whisper; an unwelcome truth I had always known, and hoped to prevent. There was another lapse into silence, but this one seemed more of relief than of disbelief.
"I know this must be terribly difficult for you, but I must ask," Zero began, and I could feel his reluctance to continue the question. "Do you think that if it comes to it, you could face your brother in battle?" The question was spot on, and it made me pause. Swallowing hard I chose to answer him, without directly addressing the query.
"My brother will think twice before he comes to try and face me, I can assure you that."
"I find it hard to believe Kylo Ren would pause for anyone," Li sniffed.
"He would when he knows that I am far more powerful than he could ever be, even if he has grown on the Dark Side. I always the more powerful of the two of us. Now that I am aware of who I am, it's going to take more than just a simple battalion to bring me down. It's the reason I came back. I've given the First Order enough pause not to attack you right away, which gives you time to gather with the Resistance for a true attack on Britannia."
"I'm still not certain I see how the Resistance can benefit from this alliance," The man called Tohdoh finally interjected, his voice full of doubt.
I glanced around the room full of bustling Black Knights members. "Perhaps this conversation should be more private," I said lowly to Zero. After a moment he nodded, and sent a signal out to the Black Knights not sitting around the table. They left in a quick and orderly fashion, and the lights dimmed as the security measures were tightened. After another moment, Lelouch slipped his mask off and set it on the table in front of him.
"Very well, Larissa, what is that you propose?" Lelouch asked uncertainly. His voice always sounded different without his mask, much in the same way my brother had sounded without his worn metal mask.
I repeated one final calming mantra before I began. Wording this in a way they would understand was going to be difficult, and I still couldn't be sure both parties would agree.
"The only reason the Resistance, and the rebels before that had lasted so long was because they possessed a benefactors, of sorts. First Alderan and other Empire separatists for the Rebel Alliance and then the new Senate for the Resistance. It's what has kept it alive for so long. Unlike you, they didn't have the ability to find revenue and resources from, other sources."
"And with the new Republic destroyed, the Resistance no longer has their source and protector," Lelouch finished.
"I still don't understand how the Resistance can benefit in this," Tohdoh repeated.
"Because I believe with the right tools, we can create a new Republic here," I replied matter-of-factly.
Lelouch chuckled softly. "And how do you intend to do that, Larissa? I cannot doubt from your heritage that you are a great politician, rebellion leader, and a powerful Jedi, but not even you can simply create a Republic from nothing."
"But if you rule Britannia you could easily free the other numbered planets and create the Republic yourself." This time, there was no stunned silence, but instead an outcry that began softly and then ran around the table like wildfire, each one shouting out their opposition and in a rare few cases, agreement. The only two people who didn't say a word were Lelouch and interestingly enough Li. Lelouch, for his part, looked shocked that I would even suggest such a venture. Li however, looked at me, seemingly impressed with my audacity to even suggest such a plan.
"What you're suggesting is insanity," Tohdoh huffed out.
"Is it really?" I challenged. "You know as well as I that we both wish for the same thing, Britannia's destruction. To destroy the same system that I oppose with fiber of being. One that has also oppressed, demeaned and slaughter millions of your people. But do you really think you can simply assassinate Charles zi Britannia and a more corrupt ruler will not simply take his place? Or do you plan to enslave millions, just as Britannia did to you and continue this cycle? Shall I remind what happened the last time someone thought themselves better than the system that had created him?"
Silence followed my question, and they didn't want to answer it anymore than I did.
"Besides," I continued after a pregnant silence, "until we know for sure, we have to assume that Schneizel has made a deal with the First Order for control of this system. Even with the pause my presence here will give my brother, it will only be a matter of weeks before the Order will grow brave enough to set Schneizel on the throne and once that happens, everything you have fought and died for will mean nothing in the face of that victory. Only the Resistance with a powerful ally behind them has any hope of destroying the First Order. You're only hope is put someone else on the throne that can do what needs to be done."
I smiled softly, and turned to Lelouch.
"And who better than an exiled, previously thought, dead prince? Do you honestly know how many systems that story will bring in alone? You don't need me, you already have all the tools you need to do this yourself."
"It's just that none of us are crazy enough to suggest it," Kallen muttered next to me.
"You must know that what you ask is impossible," Li finally said locking eyes with me.
I smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "Until I saved you, you didn't believe in such things as the Force, the Jedi, or the Sith. Do you really believe it wise to continue to test the word impossible around me?"
Li stiffened. "Dare you use your powers on me, Jedi?"
I laughed, the sound light and airy with surprise. "I don't need to use my powers on you, your suspicions are quite plain enough. And as for your earlier question, no. With my help it is not only not impossible, it is your only course of action."
"Do you think you can convince the Resistance to back in such a maneuver?" Tohdoh asked.
"Yes, I can," I said confidently. It would be no easier than convincing them, but I could do it.
"Are you sure?" Lelouch's quiet voice asked from the front of the table. I turned to him calmly. I could sense his unease, his apprehension, and most poignantly his fear.
"I wouldn't have suggested it if I thought you wouldn't be capable," I said, my voice filled with a sudden authority. "You can do this Lelouch." It is his destiny. The certainty spread through me like a wave of calm. It wasn't just me speaking anymore. It was the Force, speaking through me. "And besides, no one will be expecting a supposedly extinct Jedi helping you, much less a girl who's supposed to be dead."
"If we really are agreeing to do this, shouldn't we also be asking for your uncle's assistance?" Senba Ryoga asked. "Is he not a powerful Jedi master as well?"
I scoffed internally, the now familiar anger and betrayal rushing through me at the sound of his name. A powerful master indeed. The first real Jedi in decades. One so powerful he stopped his own father from destroying the world, and one so heartless, he could wipe the memories of his own niece and leave her helpless on a god-forsaken planet-
"Larissa!" Lelouch shouted suddenly and it took me a moment to realize that the entire table was shaking violently beneath my fingertips. And it wasn't just the table, the entire room seemed to be vibrating in response to my rage. Desperately, I worked to control it and betrayal flowing through me like a river. I clenched my hands so tightly I thought my nails might cut through the gloves. I took a ragged steadying breath until the Force around me calmed and the table slowly returned to it's normal state.
"Larissa, what-" Lelouch began, but a single look into my eyes, and he stopped suddenly.
"Luke Skywalker is no family of mine," I managed as calm as I could. "He's the one who stripped my memories, my powers, and left me in that place. I'll help you as best I can, but I will never recognize that man as anything to me. And if he comes near me again, I cannot guarantee I won't do something, regrettable." I closed my eyes and too another settling breath, and turned to Lelouch. "I apologize, but it seems I do need to retire. These feelings- I'm not quite as calm as I need to be. Would you please excuse me?"
"Of course," Lelouch said after. I could feel the concern from him, but he was polite enough not to show it. "This day has obviously a trying for you. Please go rest. We'll inform you of our decision later." With the clear dismissal available, I slowly rose from my chair. Kallen looked at me, concerned, and I gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before I walked slowly to the doors.
The walk back to the room was surreal. Despite my best efforts, the Force grated against my mind like a raw nerve. Everything about me was raw. I thought I could do this, I thought I could walk in that room and speak about my family as if it was nothing. But I was wrong, I was so very wrong. I barely made it back to the room before my knees finally gave out in front of the mirror. I sank down, my back against the mirror, the bare skin razing bumps across my skin as it touched the cool, reflective surface. I closed my eyes as tightly as could, wrapping my fingers tightly around my ears. I didn't want to be here, I didn't belong. Even though I hadn't looked at the others around the table, I could still feel their fear and wary gazes like an iron tang on my tongue, and it only fed into my own roiling emotions.
"Lyssa," Kylo voice whispered across my mind, and I shuddered. I didn't want him in my mind, but I didn't have the control to keep him out.
"Go away," I whimpered, curling tighter into a ball.
"I can't, I can feel your pain. I won't leave you like this."
"Who's fault is that?" I whispered back, "What have you done Kylo? How could you do this to me?!" The sudden burst of rage and betrayal gave me in the energy I needed to cut him off again, leaving my mind empty. The emptiness only hurt me more. I didn't even care that I'd given into my rage, and used it against my brother. All I could feel was that I was alone, all alone.
Unbidden, hot, angry tears rolled down my face. Here, on the cold floor, against the mirror, did I truly admit that I hate my uncle. I hated my uncle more than anyone. He'd done this to me. He'd taken away everything from me. If he'd just let me go, I could have stopped Kylo before he'd been corrupted, before he-
The mirror behind me shattered and glass rained down around me. I couldn't feel it if any of the glass cut me, nor did I care. What did it matter now? Despite any hope I may have for my mother, I knew if it came down to it, she would side with my uncle, and that once he knew I was awake again and he got near enough to sense my turmoil, he would do everything in his power to erase me again. I couldn't let that happen. I wouldn't be erased again. I would kill him if he came near me with that intention.
I would kill him.
I would kill him.
The conviction just made me sob harder.